The National Labor College (NLC) today announced plans to enhance its online education service to bring high-quality degree programs to union members and their families.

Tentatively named the College for Working Families, the program will combine the advantages of online learning with the resources of unions to provide programs specifically suited to the needs and interests of union members. Working adults will be able to build on their prior training and experience through the program.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, who chairs the National Labor College Board of Trustees, also announced the selection of The Princeton Review Inc. and its subsidiary, Penn Foster Education Group, as the college’s partners to create the College for Working Families.

Says Trumka:

Expanding good jobs is a top priority for the AFL-CIO and to achieve this, workers’ skills and knowledge must match the role of employers in a changing job market. This new online education venture demonstrates our strong commitment to playing a significant role in ensuring that quality education for America’s workers and their families remains affordable and accessible.

Labor College President William Scheuerman says the National Labor College is impressed with Penn Foster’s expertise in providing high-quality student services and support, which is essential to the success of the program.

“It is critical that the American workforce can be successfully educated and retrained without driving tuition costs beyond the point of affordability,” said Michael Perik, president and CEO of The Princeton Review.

We are confident that, through this partnership, we can help ensure that the students who enroll in the College will have a successful learning experience and will contribute in important ways to the growth of the American economy.